When Warriors' Fates Collide
by VeraFenestra
Summary: This story follows the 2017 movie up to the moment of Wonder Woman's final battle with Ares. However, what happens from there on turns out somewhat differently. Steve is dead (sorry, no miraculous savings here), and Ares too, but Diana is captured by the Germans before the signing of the armistice. She faces court-martial as a British secret agent, but the Amazons get wind of it...
1. Chapter 1 A Hero Defeated

This story follows the 2017 movie up to the moment of Wonder Woman's final battle with Ares, but what happens afterwards turns out somewhat differently... Be in for some surprises! After all, Wonder Woman disappears for decades out of sight, and we're going to explore why exactly that is, what she did before her spectacular return, and what made her return anyhow. A mystery that will be solved — hopefully — is why we don't see her (in the movieverse) apprear to save the day during WWII. Enjoy!

 _Copyright on the personages of Wonder Woman and her companions belongs to DC and Warner bros. This storyline, however, is mine._

 **When Warriors' Fates Collide**

 **I. A Hero Defeated**

Diana's head spinned. She could barely keep her body upright while placing one foot before the other in the thick mud. Heavy chains restrained her steps; her arms were strapped tightly to her back by similar bonds. It was the chains of Hephaestus that Ares had used against her in that final ferocious battle,— she felt she was too weak and could not do anything to free herself from them. But — she defeated Ares! The gigantic explosion she unleashed wiped away the arms factory. What in Zeus's name had happened afterwards?

The German platoon guarding her while stumbling her way through the salient around Ypres wasn't very helpful in clarifying the recent events either. Gruff grunts were the only sound the soldiers made when they yanked her chain, leading her further and further into German-occupied territory.

Then it hit her.

— Steve.

She saw the plane, climbing into the darkened sky, and then — the explosion. She saw it again, and again, before her mind's eye. Ares suddenly threw her down and immobilised her in the caterpillar tracks. She fought to get free in vain, but after that explosion,— it was like she erupted herself from the dead; she rolled over the German lines like an ardent firestorm. The last thing she remembered was her amassing the White Fire, the most powerful kind of energy a god can muster, and throwing it in a smoldering blaze to the godly entity she by now realised was her brother. She hit him, hit him hard, with a deadly blow, she knew that for certain. But something had happened; a crack, a breach in her soul had exposed her, rendered her vulnerable at exactly the moment she should be utterly invincible and adamantly strong. Whether by fire or by realisation, she had been blown uncounscious, only to find herself at the moment of resuscitation plodding through the mud, tied by an unbreakable chain as a prisoner of war to these Germans. Her chest heaved heavily, her throat thick and dry. So Steve was dead, the war not over, and maybe even Ares survived. In sum, she had failed, and everything that mattered was lost.

Overcome by grief and distress, she stumbled and fell onto her knee. The soldiers scold and insult her, beat her with their rifles, yell to her to stand up. Blood runs from a burst eyebrow over her beautiful face. They're angry, that _Drecksau_ killed many of them, she destroyed the vital ammunition factory where the gaz that could have won them the war in one stroke was produced. And above all, she murdered the deputy field marshall, general Ludendorff. Can you believe it? She spiked him with her sword and nailed him to the rooftop of the command post of the factory! If it were up to them, she'd be cut to little pieces right here and right now, but the _Oberste Heeresleitung_ had insisted she'd be brought behind the lines, where they would hand her over to the military authorities. Von Hindenburg himself had ordered that she'd be court martialled — with only one possible outcome. It was crucial that the German nation saw with their own eyes that an enemy even so exceptional and powerful as this one could be humbled and defeated.

They yanked her to her feet. Diana felt more than she saw the utter devastation that surrounded them; her feet skidded and slided away in the knee-high mud, finding support only on dead bodyparts that lie invisibly buried, rotting away under the surface. There is water everywhere, gurgling with a sickmaking sound into stinking pools of a dark, thick liquid mixture of blood, slime and gore. Weapons, helmets and bones remained as sole witnesses of the men that had fought on that plain the days and weeks before; the number of deaths must have been immens. No tree stood even alive, only blackened stumps with lifeless branches eerily standing out against the dumb grey sky. "Death as you can never imagine" — he had used these words to describe it, the "front", the horror of the "war to end all wars", and she had imagined she could end all that, just in one stroke, just by killing one man, even if that man was the God of War. How incredibly, utterly foolish of her, how arrogant, how — daft, to even believe for a second that this depraved creation of her fathers', this "humanity" could so easely be saved! Her call, her duty, her for ordinance — it was all nothing but a swindle. Tears welled up in her eyes, they ran over her face, dripping on her cold chest, while her soul was sinking away in depths of despair unfathomable.


	2. Chapter 2 A Queen in Despair

**II. A Queen in Despair**

"Hyppolita! Hyppolita!"

The Queen of the Amazons was sitting in her private quarters, bend over a map of the sky. The Amazons were familiar with foretelling the future on the basis of the heavenly constellations, and she concentrated on trying to figure out a glimpse of what was going on in the outside world. Vigilance was paramount, now that their protective hull had been breached. The Queen had been in a gloomy mood for days, since the death of her sister and de departure of her daughter, both sucked into the mouth of a monster called "The Great War". Antiope's demise signalled a new era in the life on the island of Themyscira. As for the fateful quest of her daughter —

The doors to her chambers burst open and a tall warrior walked in.

"My Queen, pardon me, but you are urgently requested in the Great Hall. A messenger arrived from the World of Men. There might be news from Princess Diana."

The woman approached the table. The Queen looked up, her brow still furrowed in concentration. A strong hand landed on Hyppolita's shoulder and squeezed it tenderly. Menalippe, head of the Queen's Guard, was, together with Artemis, whom she appointed the new leader of the army, her closest confidante now that her sister was gone.

"Senator Acantha and general Artemis require your presence in the Great Hall, immediatedly, if you please, my Queen."

The Queen rose without a word and strode out and into the gardens, followed by her royal escorte. They marched quickly following the ceremonial road that connects the palace to the Great Hall, a sacred space at the heart of Amazonian society. Here the Senate convened to debate all matters of import to the community as a whole. This was also the place were the major religious ceremonies took place. Its lavishly decorated gates stood wide open at their arrival, and a noisy crowd gathered on the steps of the staircase leading into the main hall. They respectfully made way as soon as they saw the Queen arrive, but pressed into the room once she had entered. Hyppolita walked up the ceremonial platform in front of the Python, the snake goddess that gave wisdom and clairvoyance to the Pythia, the head priestess of the Amazon nation, and turned briskly to the dense crowd. A deadly silence fell.

A fearsome, darkskinned and broadshouldered warrior stepped aside to reveal the presence of a small figure kneeling in the middle of a group of guards, hands tied in front and secured by a rope held by one of them.

"This man," general Artemis said, pointing to the prisoner, "claims not only to have seen, but to have fought alongside with princess Diana and the American spy she left the island with to stop the war. He also claims that captain Trevor is death and Diana taken prisoner by the Germans."

An audible gasp went through the audience. Queen Hyppolita paled while hearing those words, which confirmed her darkest premonitions. She slowly descended the stairs and halted on the last step in front of the kneeling man. He looked up at her, they scanned each other's face intently. His tanned complexion was marked by the traces of a harsh life. He was apparently intimidated, but the spark that lit his deep brown eyes revealed a lively spirit. He lowered his gaze first and intoned, respectfully,

"Your majesty."

A slight move of her hand.

"Arise."

He stood and faced her, a faint smile curling his lips.

"Is it true what my general says? Do you have news about my daughter?"

The man nodded forcefully.

"Yes, Your majesty, I do. But I'm afraid it is not good news. Diana Prince is captured by the Germans. Together with captain Steve Trevor, whom I understand you already know, and some of my other friends, they destroyed a weapons facility where the Germans produced a deadly gaz. She moreover killed their commander-in-chief, general Erich Ludendorff; I — I understood from what she said that she identified him to, ehh —, to your Wargod Ares."

He fixed his gaze to the ground. A concept like the God of War still remained too hard for the pious muslim to digest entirely.

"He's lying! You can plainly see that he's lying! How could Diana ever have been captured by the Germans if she discovered how to unleash her powers? She's a demigodess — she could have wiped them out quite easely!" — Menalippe stepped in and grabbed the prisoner by his lapel, shaking him violently. "Who are you, anyway?"

The man fell again to his knees and lifted his hands to the Queen in a theatrically beseeching pose.

"Revered Queen, Your majesty, I beg you to have mercy on a humble messenger. Even if I'm unworthy to grovel at your feet, I swear that I am speaking the truth. I would happily have myself captured in Diana's Lasso of Truth if I only could, but sadly enough the Germans captured that one too, together with the rest of her magical equipment."

An outburst of emotional reactions and comments followed after these words. It was plain the man at least knew Diana in person. Senator Acantha took the stairs and called for silence. She turned to Hyppolita and said,

"My Queen, methinks it clear this man really knows something, and we need to find out precisely what. How would he have got here to start with if not with Diana's help? I propose we release him and listen to his story."

The Queen nodded slightly in confirmation. "But first we need to know who you are."

Acantha took him by his elbow and planted him on his feet. Artemis took out a knife and cut his bonds with one swift stroke.

"Ehhh — Thank you, thank you, Senator, General. My same is Sultan Imgur Metz Kashmir — my friends call me Sameer. I hope you don't mind that I point out that I'm myself of royal blood, although I'll gladly admit that the radiance of my house fades to nothing compared to the splendour I see here —"

"Come to the point — " Hyppolita's voice, sharply.

The Sultan nodded obediently, took something from his breastpocket and handed it to the Queen.

"I don't think I can be any clearer than this German newspaper, Your majesty".

Hyppolita took the thickly folded piece of paper and opened it. What she saw cut off her breath. A frontpage-large picture of Diana, head low, heavily chained, in front of a military tribunal. "WAR CRIMINAL FACING JUSTICE" the caption said. She quickly read through the accompanying article.

"What does it say?", someone inquired. "Why do they bring her to court? She's a warrior, not a criminal. Don't they respect the code of honour?" "What is a 'newspaper'?" Sameer could hear a young Amazon ask amidst the uproar. He couldn't help himself smiling.

"My daughter is charged with sneeking into a gala at German High Command in honour of the upcoming armistice, in an attempt to kill the German commander-in-chief on behalf of the British secret services. She is said to have killed hundreds of soldiers in a terrorist attack on an arms factory, during which she effectively executed the aforementioned general, murdering him in cold blood. Finally, she is charged with having a hand in a craven gaz attack on a meeting of the German chiefs-of-staff, with the aim of ruining the efforts towards peace negotiations urged for by the Kaiser himself!"

Hyppolita briskly lowered the paper.

"This doesn't make any sense! What is this madness?! Diana's call was for ending the war, not for prolonging it! That general cannot have been Ares, for then the war would have ended by now — so, what was going on there? My daughter is no murderer; this cannot be! You — " she pointed menacingly at Sameer, "you have to tell me everything you know! Everything, you hear?! Bring him to my quarters!"

Menalippe's troops took care of the unlucky human, while the rest of the crowd dispersed, agitately commenting on the course of events.


	3. Chapter 3 Court-Martialled

**III. Court-Martialled**

"All rise!"

Diana stood in the middle of a large room, before an empty bench that was now gradually being filled with earnestly looking elderly men in _feldgrau_ uniforms. She stood in between two members of the military police, ramrod straight in their black-and-white attire, the one to her right holding Ares's chain that ran around her waist and kept her manacled wrists tied together before her body. She didn't understand why, but she felt she could not just simply free herself from her restraints. They had taken away her gear but, luckily, allowed her to keep her bracelets and costume — at least something she knew she could rely on. She could hear people waddle into the seats behind her; there was a vivid buzz of excited and amazed voices commenting on what they saw — her. It was cold in the room and she shivered.

Once seated, the president of the court started to whisper energetically to the registrar. They didn't seem to agree on some important point; everybody was awaiting the result of their deliberations. Finally, they beckoned a younger officer of considerable rank to come closer. They spoke to him for a short while, then everybody nodded while reaching an agreement. The younger man approached Diana, nodded curtly and took a seat in the small bench that was installed to her left, in front of the court. They had spoken each other before once; he had interrogated her while she was in the castle's dungeon, awaiting trial.

Diana had easely followed the ongoing discussion, but while she knew German very well she didn't know what to make of it. It was about a "counsel" for the "defendant", both unknown concepts to her. She looked slowly around. She felt uneasy and was impressed by the gravity of the situation. She was in the great Chateau at Morbecque, were the gala took place before, and so at the seat of German High Command, that much she knew. The room in which the court assembled had a high ceiling and soldiers lined up along the wooden walls. The panel of officers seated in front of her had severe expressions on their faces. They all wore heavily decorated military uniforms and some had weird pointed helmets on their heads. It bemused her again to see how very fond men were of hair on their faces; she had noticed it in England before. "Moustache" Steve called the funny furs under their noses. Diana did not really understand what exactly was going to happen — "courts" did not exist on Themyscira. If an Amazon sister transgressed, she would be brought at first before the Queen, who would speak to her as a mother. If need be, the Senate, the Council of Elders, would convene and they again would speak to the culprit and find a solution. The idea was never to "punish", and people would never be imprisoned, let alone be dragged before their judges in chains.

The prosecutor, a colonel with short gray hair and a sharp, emotionless face, stood up and walked in between the bench of the court and the place of the accused. He turned to the eager public that had gathered — rumours of the exceptional prisoner and the trial ahead had spread like a fire. Even though only mates and officers were allowed in, the room was packed. The prosecutor gestured dramatically in Diana's direction, saying,

"Gentlemen, this court-martial has to deal with a very unusual but at the same time very clear case. The woman in front of you, known as Diana Prince, is accused of being a British agent. She was captured behind the frontlines after she, according to many witnesses, destroyed the arms factory at Hazebrouck. She is seen to have killed general Erich Ludendorff, our deputy field marshall, who was in command of that facility, in cold blood by stabbing him through by means of a sword —,"

An audible gasp followed these words, but he continued imperturbably,

— this happened after she and her accomplices supposedly sabotaged our military operations at Veld, and caused the British to breach our lines there. Finally, the group is charged with the gaz attack on a meeting of our chiefs-of-staff shortly before the attack on Hazebrouck took place — a particularly mean attempt given that we were preparing the armistice with the British; our field marshall general von Hindenburg barely got away with his life. So in sum, this woman here came close to decapitating the German army, while incapacitating its major arms supply. I do not think there should be any doubt about the punishement she deserves."

Diana opened her mouth, but the man besides her signalled her briskly with a move of his hand to shut up. The president of the court sighed deeply as if to highlight the hopelessness of her case, and then addressed her directly:

"Impressive. Young lady, you are known to us as Diana Prince, but we have all reasons to believe that this is a cover. You can start by telling the court your real name. Who are you? Where do you come from? Who do you work for?"

Diana looked confused while retorting hesitantly,

"What do you mean by 'a cover'?"

An embarassed silence fell. They all watched each other, stunned. The prosecutor's sharp voiced cut harshly through the silence.

"Don't play games on us, Ms. Prince. We prefer to keep it civilised, but we do have other means at our disposal to get the truth out of you if need be."

The man in the bench near her raised his hand. "Objection, your honour. I questioned this woman before — there are good reasons to believe that she is not aware of, well, many to us common things. Let her at least first speak before threatening her with torture."

"Objection accepted, counsel."

He adressed her again, waving with his hand,

"Continue."

Diana took a deep breath.

"I am no 'British agent', whatever that may be. I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hyppolita, Queen of the Amazons. And I am here to kill Ares and stop this gruesome war."

Another awkward silence fell. The prosecutor, irritated, lashed out to her with his horsewip; she easely avoided him, but the MP holding her chain jerked her roughly back into place. The young woman was visibly offended.

"Why are you hurting me? I'm speaking the truth!"

The officer serving as Diana's counsel interfered again.

"We do have a witness to confirm this, Sir. The captain of the warship that followed Steve Trevor's plane. They failed to retrieve him from the island on which he crashed. A substantial loss of lives was reported after a battle against a bunch of apparently female warriors on its beach."

"Well, then get me this captain!" — the court's president was ostensibly irritated. This was supposed to be a neat trial of one of Germany's enemies that could be used to set an example, not some kind of freak show — you couldn't advertise such a thing. The propaganda department would get nuts if they caught wind of this.

The captain came forward to the witness bench.

"This woman," — he pointed at Diana — "has indeed rescued the pilot from the wreckage and dragged him to the beach when my men breached the hull that withheld the Amazon Island from sight. My men disembarked under a cloud of arrows and were attacked by dozens of fierce women warriors on foot and horseback. They tried everything possible to retrieve the target but due to the supremacy in numbers of the enemy they were killed or driven back into the sea — "

"Due to the supremacy in numbers,— yeah right!" Diana's condescending tone was unmistakable.

The whip of the prosecutor landed hard this time. Kept at a short leash, the female warrior could do nothing to avoid it from hitting its mark. A thickening red weal ran along her cheek.

"Silence! You shall only speak when spoken to, do you understand?!"

Her dark eyes glowed with anger. Diana's counsel stood in front of her, trying his best to cool her inflamed spirits down.

"The 'Amazon Island'? Is that what you said, captain?" — again the incredulous voice of the presiding judge, trying to keep the situation in check.

"Forgive me, general, but based on what I saw and my knowledge of history that is the only name I can give to that place."

"Do we have any information about her accomplices, prosecutor?"

"According to our own intel, she landed on Belgian shore five days ago in the company of the American intelligence officer captain Steve Trevor, the pilot already mentioned and the one that stole Dr. Maru's notebook, whom she apparently saved. Moreover, two other accomplices the identity of whom remains to be exposed."

The president of the court watched Diana intently for a long while. He seemed to be making up his mind on his next move.

"Prosecutor, would you mind keeping your reactions in check during the remainder of the proceedings? And you, Diana of Themyscira, tell us exactly how you came to know Steve Trevor, and what happened after our soldiers left your island."

Diana, touched by his sudden kindness and uncapable of lying to them anyhow, looked back at him with an open, confident gaze. She told the court exactly everything that happened from the moment Trevor was brought before the Amazon Queen until the arrival of the little fellowship at the Belgian frontlines.

Another deadly silence fell, but now awe was at its root.

"So, let me make this clear. You mean to say you were present at a session of the British War Council at some point? While they were discussing the armistice?"

"Yes, of course. I went in there with Steve. They asked me to translate Dr. Maru's notebook. When I saw their leading general's reaction to its horrible content, I reprimanded him for his indifference and cruelty."

Gasps in the public were audible. The presiding judge had visibly trouble to keep an impassive face, but he continued interrogating her with that smooth, level voice.

"So you spoke to field marshall Haig and afterwards to the Chancellor of the Exchequer — do I get that right?"

"The what — ?"

"To Sir Patrick Morgan, " her counsel offered willingly. She nodded affirmatively.

The prosecutor couldn't withhold himself any longer. He turned in a theatrical gesture to face his colleagues in the public.

"But she has nothing to do with British war interests!"

Hilarious laughter broke out on all benches. Even the judges lay flat over their desks.

Many of the hardened field officers in the public who had seen much bloodshed at the front smirked approvingly. They couldn't help being touched by the courage and the honesty of this young woman, whomever or whatever she might be. Many of them had witnessed the slaughter at Ypres. They weren't precisely crybabies, but the negligence with which British High Command was known to throw the lives of their soldiers into the furnace was appalling even to them.

The presiding judge desparatedly tried to regain some control over the proceedings. He smacked his wooden hammer forcefully on the table in front of him repeatedly. After a long while, silence finally returned.

"Let's talk about your — ehm —, performance at the ammunitions factory. The court wants to know what weapon systems you were provided with, and how precisely the British and American secret services contributed to your preparation and equipment."

Diana lifted a questioning eyebrow.

"My weapons are my sword, my shield and my lasso, nothing else. But I did feel Zeus's strength in me when fighting Ares at the arms plant. He turned out not to be Ludendorff, after all; it was Sir Patrick. Ares succeeded in corrupting you all — Germans, English, all of you! I still wonder whether what I did was worth it. I still wonder why Steve had to die in that horrible airplane — "

She fell prey to vehement emotions. The MP to her left unsheated his pistol, unsure of what she was up to, but the only thing she wanted was to wipe away the tears that run down her cheeks, visible for everybody. Diana felt exposed and vulnerable like she never had before in her long young life.

"So you don't have anything to do with the gaz attack on our General Staff? But you do confess not only to have destroyed the plant, but also to have murdered general Ludendorff? Because you thought he was 'Ares, God of War'?"

The presiding judge sensed his opportunity and pressed his psychological advantage. Bewildered and emotionally confused, Diana looked up, then down, not knowing what to do. It was true what they said, but then again it was not true at all. She wasn't there to serve British or American interests, not at all. But she wanted to kill Ares to end the war, and so she did kill that general, who turned out not to be him. She shrugged and hung her head.

"Yes, it's true. I killed him."


	4. Chapter 4 The Tale of Two Women - 1

**IV. The Tale of Two Women**

"Why did you spare me?"

Diana heard the voice from a distance. Her eyelids were heavy. She tried to turn herself in the direction of the sound, but found that she could hardly move. She sat in some kind of chair, her strong limbs shackled to its arms and legs. Even her upper body was kept fixed, by means of a fetter around her neck and attached to the chair's support. Her head hung heavily forward.

"Tell me. I don't understand, and I'm really curious. I hate things I don't understand."

The rustle of robes indicated someone approaching her. The young Amazon forced herself to open her eyes and lift her head — a fog hung over them and she still couldn't behold her surroundings clearly.

"Where am I? What — what will happen to me?"

Her voice was coarse.

"You're in my lab. And the court has sentenced you to death, obviously."

The voice spoke casually in ancient Greek. Diana, astonished, looked up, her mouth slightly open, her lips dry, focusing her gaze as much as possible on the person in front of her. She felt it was vital to know who this was. A fearsome voice, a woman's voice.

A cup touched Diana's lips, fresh water moistened her tongue.

"What else would you expect, hmm? You're a secret agent, a murderer and a spy. Don't tell me you didn't know the risk of your venture before you started it."

She drank eagerly. Someone was meddling with her left arm. The veil was slowly lifting by now. Diana suddenly realised who the woman in front of her was; she recognised her from the photograph she had seen at the War Council's meeting room, though the face close to hers was gruesomely marred, up to the point as to make it unrecognisable: this was Dr. Isabel Maru. A thin glass barrel with a pointy needle sticking out at the end sat loosely in between the fingers of her right hand. Diana had no idea why, but the sight of it terrified her.

"Dr. Maru — "

Maru put the syringe in Diana's arm. Diana was shocked at the sight and the feel of the needle disappearing slowly into her flesh and tried to retract, but she couldn't do anything to prevent the disgusting thing from piercing her skin. Diana's hightened bodily awareness made her feel the cold, sharp sting as if she were ripped open by a javelin or a spear. Her jaw tightened while she saw a thick red liquid pour from her arm into the small vessel connected to the needle.

"You're taking my blood!"

"Only a little bit — for now." A slight grin passed over the masked face.

Diana's muscles tensed. The shackles of the magic chain — she knew she could not break them, but hot rage boiled in her blood nevertheless. The thick veins in her neck stood out visibly. The doctor, impressed, took a step back to observe the warrior stack up her formidable powers and wait for the enormous, but pointless, mustering of energies to withdraw.

Pearls of sweat glistened on Diana's front; her frustrated attempt made her pant audibly.

"Why are you doing this to me? If you so fear me, why not just get rid of me? Why not simply be done with it and execute me honourably?"

"Your — ehm, capacities are amazing; I witnessed a demonstration of your strength with my own eyes — how you lifted that tank. It is in the interest of the Imperial Army to know the origins of that kind of power. But you are not invulnerable, as is clear from the few experiments I'm performing on you right now. Moreover, you withstood the Yperite gaz at Veld, but I easely undid you with some chloroform. A dazzling array of inconsistencies you are, Princess. You're a mystery, and I like mysteries, provided I can solve them."

"You seek power over others."

It was said so evenly, so matter-of-factly, that it came to Isabel as a slap in the face.

"Yes, and why not? You say that as if it were something objectionable. But in this world, for a talented woman, there is no other way to survive."

The doctor was irritated. Who did that unwitting child think she was, confronting her so blatantly? She concentrated on preparing her next experiment, messing around with conductors and batteries.

"On your nice little island, eh, how do people live there then? There must be someone in charge. Or do they all live like the animals in God's Paradise, hmm?"

Diana looked the doctor straight into the eyes. The cynicism was completely lost on her.

"We live according to our ordinance. It is our sacred duty to save the world of men; our lives are spent in preparation for that task. We love each other as sisters — no one is valued more than anyone else, though we all gladly obey our revered Queen — "

The thought of her mother overwhelmed Diana like a wave. Her head sunk to her breast. Tears ran over her cheeks. Why? Why this — disaster? She couldn't fathom even the beginning of an answer; she couldn't think of anything to keep despair at bay.

A gloved finger slipped under Diana's chin and lifted her head. The abysmal sadness in those deep brown eyes was breathtaking, even to the hardened Doctor's soul.

"Why did you save me? I really want to know. That monstrous Wargod of yours delivered me to you; you could have killed me in one stroke, and yet you didn't. Why?"

"Ares tried to make me hate mankind — but I don't want to hate. He wanted me to join him and destroy you, all of you, but I couldn't. I'm devoted to love, not hate — "

One split second of hesitation. Then Maru plugged the peg deeply into Diana's flank. The young woman, taken by surprise, gasped for breath.

"Ouchhh — "

A zooming sound, amplifying. Suddenly a tremendous crackle. A flash of lightning sent a shockwave through Diana's convulsing body. The Amazon princess passed out, her body slumping forward.

Isabel Maru looked down on the unconscious prisoner clamped into the chair. Her eyes traced the curves of the lean and strong, but now utterly powerless, young woman's body, entirely at her mercy. For the first time in long — she couldn't even remember how long a time ago she felt something she'd forgot she knew; for the first time in long she felt — pity.


	5. Chapter 5 For the Rescue

**V. For the Rescue**

Sameer was enjoying his meal. It was not even so far away from what he knew from home: nice slices of meat, fresh vegetables of different kinds, everything spiced with herbs and hot peppers — really hot ones, and dry, pancakelike bread. But everything was so tasteful and deliciously prepared he feared he would faint. Although the fact that he hadn't seen a decent meal in three days could also account for that reaction to some extend.

A servant poured sparkling red wine in a heavily decorated bronze chalice. He drank eargely. The situation was far from a regular dinner-time — those who mind doubting that only had to glimpse at the two robust guards in glistening bronze armour behind his chair. The Queen of the Amazons and some of her most trusted counsellors watched him eating in silence, obviously impatient, but polite enough to wait until he finished his meal. He put his cup with a smack on the table and looked at the little gathering in front of him.

"Your Royal Highness, your excellencies — ", they had got a taste before of his stilted rhetorical style —, "I'm all yours to tell you whatever you want to know. Now, what do you want to know?"

Queen Hyppolita bit her tongue. She couldn't figure out whether to be irritated or amused by that man. She decided to settle for "amused" — at least for the moment. After all, he was a friend of her daughter's, or at least, so he claimed.

"You may begin by telling us how you met my daughter, and how the two of you got involved in that war — and how Diana ended up in German hands while you did not, obviously."

There was a hint of a threat in her tone. Sameer scraped his throat.

An hour or so later, they all sat, dumbstruck, watching the small stature of the dark skinned man before them. Sameer's eyes were shining while he ended his story. Was it sadness that shone in those dark orbs? Fear? Excitement? A combination of those and many things more?

" — we saw her, capturing white lightning from the air thrown at her by that — thing. She launched it back and made everything, well, pretty much explode. We had already blown up the production plant itself, but now really everything was gone. I don't know exactly what happened afterwards; her opponent was gone, wiped out I believe we may safely assume. But Diana herself seemed struck somehow as well. I saw her falling from the sky and a bunch of Germans rushing to the place where she'd touched ground — we couldn't do anything anymore and did what we could to make sure we'd get away with our own lives... "

He lowered his chin to his chest.

"I'm really sorry we couldn't save her. I believe seeing Steve Trevor die in the sky had unsettled her and made her weak. But I still don't see what good we could have done by getting ourselves captured or killed instead of getting out of there. Ares was dead, and the Germans, that was for sure, were not going to kill anybody by means of their gruesome gaz anymore — and that was what she wanted first and foremost."

He looked up again, staring the Queen straight into the eyes.

"Steve had plotted for us the rough course they had followed when coming back form Paradise Isl — I mean, from Themyscira, to the known world. Diana had shared with us that evening at Veld some astronomical data allowing us to locate it more precisely. I think she wanted to make sure that someone — eh, that someone might make it to here, in case of — "

A moment of hesitation. Than an impressive black warrior stood up, an indignant look on her face.

"It is a pity that the Lasso of Hestia is not with us right now. I have a hard time to believe this story. It is clear from what he tells that Diana discovered her true powers and her true nature. How then can it even be that she got caught by mere mortals?!"

Philippus came to the fore, pointing a threatening finger in Sameer's direction. Sameer jumped up from his chair, reaching out for the Queen in a pleading gesture.

"Hey, warrior lady! I don't need your Lasso, I'm speaking the truth — "

He was halted in his steps in the flash of a moment, sprawling under the pressure of a sturdy knee between his shoulderblades. The Queen waved the guards away.

"Leave him. I think he speaks the truth. We have to consider what to do next. If all of this is true, Diana won't even know for sure whether she succeeded her mission; she must be smashed, devastated. We cannot leave her in the hands of her enemies. She needs, now more then ever, her home and her family."

To Hyppolita's dismay, the otherwise so reticent Artemis spoke, her voice filled with disbelief.

"You intend to command the army to leave the island? And put everything and everybody remaining at risk? I have to strongly oppose to such a plan."

Menalippe interfered as well with a critical comment. This worried the Queen even more.

"Diana left without your consent, My Queen, even in direct violation of your orders. By doing so, she revealed to even more mortal men our location and endangered us all. Such defiance cannot go unpunished."

Hyppolita exasperated, such was the degree of her anger.

"She did what she was created for in the first place! If anyone was wrong, it was me, trying desperatedly to protect her and to keep her out of harm's way. She was unprepared, that's why she failed! Which may have cost her life, and Antiope's, for that matter — "

Hyppolita turned away from them. A swift, sweeping movement with her hand over her eyes. An unfamiliar voice threw itself in.

" 'Fail'? Who speaks of 'fail'?"

The Sultan of Kashmir straightened his back.

"Your Highness, if you allow me: Diana did not fail. She did end the war, or in any case nearly so. She saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. She's a hero, a true hero! By losing the gaz factory, the Germans lost every hope of winning the war by military means. It will be the armistice for them, or complete defeat, and they know it. It's only a matter of time. The question is how much more time it will take for them to realise this. By the way, they also know where you are, don't forget that; Diana could never have exposed you more than you already were. She at least deserves an attempt at being saved."

The Queen turned towards him with a grateful glimpse in her eyes. She held out the German newspaper, featuring her humiliated daughter on the front page.

"What are her chances to come out of this trial alive?"

"Honestly? None. And can you blame them? Diana murdered one of their top generals. Frankly, if you find your man nailed to the roof of his HQ by a sword... She not only destroyed the weapons factory in its entirety, but after Steve's dead she went — berserk, and close to wiped out nearly its whole garrsion. Also, Steve wàs an agent for the British intelligence, and they know that — they'll try her as a spy and a secret agent, and execute her for it. This is war; what else would you expect them to do, hmm?"

Queen Hyppolita was lost in thoughts for a while. Nobody uttered a word. She was weighing all her options — which were very limited. But it was clear to everyone that she was not going to give up on her daughter without a fight. After what seemed an eternity, she let her gaze go around the circle and landed it on Sameer.

"My generals are right, of course. We cannot leave Themyscira defenseless. Especially not if what you say is true. Sultan, you claim to be my daughter's brother-in-arms. Would you and your friends, together with some of my best warriors, be prepared to set up a rescue operation on German territory to find her and bring her back?"

Sameer's eyes were radiating with anticipation.

"We'd definitedly need some extra support. But yes, I think I speak for everybody if I say we'd go to hell to find that _mademoiselle magnifique_ and get her back over here. I — eh, only hope you don't mind me mentioning it, but my friends and I — eh, we're not rich; we'd be happy with a little — reward, you know, in case we'd be succesful, hmmm? What d'you say?"

The Queen approached him, holding out her arm. A flicker of hesitation, then he grasped it firmly.

"You may name any reward you want, and it will be yours."

"In that case, Your Highness, — " and he made an exaggerated curtsy, "You can just leave the rescue of your daughter to me."


	6. Chapter 6 the Tale of Two Women - 2

**VI. The Tale of Two Women - 2**

"Tie her to the post."

It had been going on for several days by now. Guards hauled Diana out of her dark cell, pulled a hood over her head, chained her manacled hands tightly behind her back, and brought her to Dr. Maru's lab. The sinister doctor continued to do experiments on the defenseless princess in the hope of discovering the secret to her powers. She had been exposed to gasses, gunshots, strikes of different levels of impact and electric shocks, although Maru took care to cut the action short when it became threatening to the young woman's life. Chemical analysis of her skin, muscles, bones, blood and hair had delivered remarkable results, to the extend as to be hardly believable, but Isabel Maru was a scientist: she knew her experiments were sound, and she accepted the obtained results. The doctor grew slightly impatient, however, because, apart from Diana's amazing healing powers, she had not yet found anything immediatedly useful to the war effort.

The soldiers dragged the young amazon onto a stage in the centre of the lab on which a sturdy post was erected. Massive cables ran from under the base floor to turbines alined in a circle around it. They forced her to her knees, shackled her feet to its base and chained her manacled wrists to a ring above her head.

Diana was exhausted. There were limits to even her capacity to endure. It was more the psychic than the physical torture that gnawed on her — the dark dungeon, the absence of sunlight and nature, the uncertainty of what had happened to her family and friends, out there and in Themyscira. The haunting question of whether she had done the right thing, and — painful flashes before her mind's eye seemed to rip her heart apart for every thought of — of him, Steve Trevor, the mortal man who made her feel and experience love, real, deep, warm, exciting love, eternal love, love for one man and for mankind, flawed as they probably were, — and capable of the ultimate sacrifice.

She screamed. The ghastly sound filled the space with pain and desparation. Diana's body jolted; the chains on her arms clanked against the post. After a while the convulsions subsided. The amazon's head bent slowly forward. Tangled curls of long, dark hair covered her face. A thick silence descended on the room.

Minutes passed. Isabelle Maru waited until the emotional tension diminished. A feeling of unease in her work with her present research subject had become increasingly worrisome. Isabel pulled herself together and grabbed the clamps that she had prepared for her next experiment.

Diana felt hands putting clamps all over her body, to her armour as well as to her bare flesh.

"We're going to do some more work on electricity today," she heard Dr. Maru say matter-of-factly. For some reason, Isabel Maru found it necessary to explain to her victim everything she did to her. It helped her to conceal her own embarrassment, more to herself than to anybody else. Don't be ridiculous, she told herself, you've done way worse in the name of science than this.

"I also would like to understand more of this," Her finger tapped against Diana's left bracelet. "I saw what you did to the Wargod, and I believe electricity is the key. And since you claim to be a daughter of Zeus — he's the god of thunder and lightning, right?"

Diana watched up slowly and into Dr. Maru's face. She didn't speak. She hadn't spoken for days. Again, the deep, inexpressible pain struck a chord in the doctor's barren soul. She opened her mouth to say something comforting to the wrecked being at her feet, but got interrupted by the violent slam of the laboratory's doors against the castle's stone wall.

A tall, grayhaired officer with a sharp, emotionless faced walked in briskly.

"Progress, doctor?"

Colonel Gerbhardt, the prosecutor during Diana's trial, was assigned by the Chief of Staff as the liaison between the _Oberste Heeresleitung_ and Maru's laboratory. They didn't like each other. Gerbhardt distrusted Ludendorff's "witch", and Maru despised his mysoginy and lack of intellectual sophistication.

"Definitedly, but not yet enough. I understand by now better what she is, and especially what she is not, but that does not mean I have a way to make these insights practically useful, at least not for now."

The colonel pouted.

"Well then, what _is_ she?"

"She's organic, and mortal, but definitedly not human. Her musclefibres generate an extraordinary strength. Her blood has an anomalous protein content and its plasmacells have amazing anti-inflammatory healing powers — I can extract a medicine from them that will save thousands of soldiers' lives, which in any case gives us a strategic advantage over our enemies. Also, her body has the consistency of a twenty-five year old, but biochemical analysis reveals that her biological age is in the order of centuries, at least 800 years... "

The expression on the colonel's face was a mixture of disgust, awe and fascination.

"Well, let me tell you this: the armistice will be signed within three days. The peace will not last forever, by no means, and Germany cannot run the risk to let its enemies get hold of such an — asset. If you don't come up with something useful before that time, your orders are clear: destroy her. Am I clear, Doctor?"

"Very clear, colonel. I'll do the necesssary even though it would be a pity to lose such a fascinating research subject — "

"That "fascinating subject" is an abomination! She murdered general Ludendorff and is directly responsible for the fact that Germany has no other option left then to end the war, unless you come up with some miracle, soon — do not forget that, Doctor!"

He walked resolutely towards the doors, then halted, and turned to face the scientist again.

"Whatever happens to the armistice, the admiralty has decided to send a fleet to the Amazon island, following the course that the cruiser Swaben has plotted when returning from there. We'll get them and their secrets anyhow, and then wipe their kind of the face of the Earth, and put an end to this — this freak of nature!"

And he stamped out of the laboratory. She watched his back disappear while the doors fell in their lock behind him.

The sound of a faint voice reached her ear.

"Themyscira — mother... "

It was barely audible.

For a long while Isabel stood motionless in the middle of the large room. So the war was lost; the armistice would be signed in any case. That meant her whole effort became meaningless. She was a loyal servant to the Empire, but what if it ceased to exist? She knew she couldn't get a miracle done within three days — the only thing she would accomplish was the destruction of this — magnificent young woman, an "abomination" to that despicable colonel, and of her people together with her. A world where women could pursue learning in freedom would be irrevocably lost forever. She slowly shook her head.

Isabel Maru turned and looked down on her prisoner — once again she felt her heart torn by violently conflicting emotions. She wispered, more to herself than to anyone else,

"To be honest, I don't want to kill you. I owe you a life — mine, and I intend to pay off my debt."


	7. Chapter 7 Sacrifice

**VII. Sacrifice**

A gush of sunlight falls over Diana's face; she feels the warmth and sees the light shimmering through her closed eyelids. She stirs and opens them, but has to close them again immediatedly. After days in the dark dungeon, she's not able to stand the sunlit clarity overwhelming her through the large window in the solid stone wall.

Something soft and clean crackles beneath her. Sheets. She's lying in a bed, a real one. She moves and hears a tingling sound — her wrists are still cuffed and attached by a chain to the frame of the bed, that cursed magical chain that holds her since her capture, but apart from that she doesn't feel constraints. Diana opens her eyes again and scans the room. The window to the room is glass-stained and has no bars, so she notices with some surprise. The room is large, with a high ceiling, its ancient stone walls decorated with tapestries, paintings and wooden pane. With some effort, Diana manages to sit up in the bed, leaning against its headrest. She is still dizzy but feels that her body has recovered somehow — it must have been a long, deep sleep, her first one since she has slain the Wargod, now nearly a week ago.

The door opens and Dr. Maru enters. Diana's heart sinks in her breast like a stone.

"Do not fear; I have no evil intend — not anymore."

Her instinctive reaction must have been plainly visible. Diana squeezes herself into a Stoic demeanour. This woman is her arch-enemy, she should not be giving any of her inner feelings away.

Dr. Maru approaches the bed. She holds a tray in her hands which she places on Diana's lap. Food. Good food. Diana is famished — her former intention notwithstanding, she throws herself on the tray and wolves everything on it away in an amazingly short time. Isabel Maru watches the scene impassively. She removes the empty plate and announces matter-of-factly,

"The war is lost; it is over for Germany. Continuing these experiments on you makes no sense at all anymore."

Diana gazes at her with incredulity. She opens her mouth, but doesn't manage to produce a sound.

Isabel, after a slight hesitation, continues,

"Whatever you may think of me, serving the Empire to the best of my abilities was ever my only wish."

This was probably the closest she'd get to an apology.

"Let me take a look at these,"

The Doctor busies herself with some bandages on Diana's left shoulder. Diana, still chained to the bed, endures it reluctantly. For the first time in many days, she hears her own voice, a grating sound, not screaming, but speaking understandable words.

"How can you — just say that? You were ready to kill millions — how could you even think of doing those — those awful things? Not even what you did to me, but that poisoned gaz on the village, that plane you'd throw on London? These innocent people you murdered, the many more innocent people you would have murdered if we hadn't stopped you?!"

Isabel lowers her gaze. Something undefinite but apparently very interesting on the wooden flour seemed to hold her gaze.

"You yourself killed dozens, if not hundreds, in the trenches and at the military base, Princess. They had no way whatsoever to defend themselves against your superpowers — how is that any different?"

Isabel Maru was surprised by her own words. She was in the service of the Kaiser, and this was war. It was gruesome, yes, nobody expected it to be a walk in the parc. Why was she even arguing about it with this — brat?

Diana clenched her teeth. Her angular cheek stood out visibly.

"You are right, I killed many. And I did so in rage, because of the village, because of Steve. I now know that evil is on many sides, even in me —, " she paused for a moment, brooding. "But still, I did not kill because someone ordered me to. I at least wàs angry, I was — out of my mind! You don't even seem angry, you seem to — revel in your work, like an artist revels in his perfomance. Even now, after Ares's death, what drove you to continue totdo such hideous things?"

Instead of answering the unanswerable question, Isabel reverts to her scientist persona, and states abruptly,

"They ordered me to destroy you in the case of defeat. The armistice will be signed in two days. Colonel Gerbhardt does not trust me with this order, and I can't blame him for that, so I expect him back soon. You have to go."

Now it is amazement that runs over Diana's face. She looks at the Doctor intently.

"You are going to set me free? Even though I killed your general?"

A gloomy expression slides over the maimed face.

"Indeed, General Ludendorff was the ony man in my life I ever felt loyal to — and I'm not going to forgive you for killing him, believe me, even if I know you took him for someone else —," She twiched the bandage in its place and fastened it. "But you payed your own price in this respect, hmm? Or was that American pilot nothing more than just an incidental acquaintance?"

Diana's face turned deeply red; her eyes filled with tears. She lowered her gaze and said nothing. What was there to say?

Dr. Maru finished her work.

"There. Your healing abilities are truly amazing, Princess. You've slept, you're fed, and your wounds are treated; that's about all I can do for you now. From here on, you're going to be on your own. But I guess you'll be fine." She picked a large, curiously shaped key from her pocket and held it in front of Diana's eyes. The key to the magical chain that kept her manacled. "But first — "

Maru grabbed an object from her work bench and held it out to the flabbergasted Amazon princess.

"My Lasso! Good Hera, you found it! But why? Why are you helping me? Yesterday you almost killed me, and now — I realy don't understand?" Diana sounded really confused. After all she had been through she couldn't grasp the sudden change of heart in the once so sinister scientist.

Isabel looked straight at her. The Lasso glowed in her hand.

"To be honest, I don't know myself. All I know is: you spared me when Ares delivered me to you — I owe you a debt, and I'm repaying it. Also — " The doctor hesitated for a moment, "you're a magnificent young woman — it would be a shame to see such powerful beauty destroyed, basically for no other reason than that imbecil of a colonel who hates you simply because you exist."

She lowered her head again. She felt uneasy and warm; her hand clutching the Lasso covered with sweat, the strange object glowing in a soft, golden light.

"I can ony dream of what it must have meant to you to grow up so freely, to roam the countryside at your wish, to dwell in libraries and study whatever you wanted, to learn to fight and be strong, to feel — loved and hence to find value in yourself, in what you truly are — "

Diana observed her and listened attentively. She wasn't one for many words, but she felt the abysmal sadness in the voice of the woman before her.

"You should make it."

Dr. Maru lifted her head in surprise.

"Make it? Make what? What are you talking about?"

"The medicin you found in my blood — I heard you talk about it to that colonel. Make it. But just promise me one thing — "

"What?"

"Do not to make it for Germans alone. Do it for the good of the whole of mankind, for everybody. You see, the past is the past, you cannot change anything to the evil you brought upon others before. But it is never too late to start using that brilliant mind of yours for doing some good. There will be peace, and many people need to be taken care of. You could mean a great lot to many lives that would otherwise be destroyed or lost — even the gods might notice it. Just don't give up on yourself so easily!"

The young Amazon spoke with passion and persuasion. It was the longest speech Isabel had ever heard from her. The hardened, cynical scientist was taken aback; Diana's words shook her emotionally. Now it was she who didn't speak for a long while. Finally she nodded.

"You are right — science can be a force for good as much as it has been for evil. Even though I'll definitedly burn in Hell, I still might find some fulfillment in life before it gets to that point." She smiled with wry irony.

The Doctor threw the Lasso in Diana's lap. She handed Diana the key after unlocking the chain that kept the Amazon tied to the bed. Finally she placed a heavy satchel at its foot.

"You will have to behave as my prisoner until I release you at the gate. Please don't make it more difficult to me then it already is, allright? You'll be able to free yourself from your manacles once you're outside. There is some food in the bag. I could secure your other attributes; the shield is in there and your sword as well, although it is heavily damaged. My advise to you would be to return to your homeland as quickly as possible. The admiralty has ordered a fleet to Themyscira to destroy the island together with its inhabitants; they won't risk your people siding with our enemies. The fleet is on its way to your homeland as we speak."

"Yes — I heard your colonel say that." A fierce glint shone through her eyes. "They'll soon find out what they're up to."

Diana was already jumping out of the bed, but Dr. Maru pushed her gently back.

"Put on this trenchcoat – it will cover you up while I bring you to the gate. I know your strength, but you are not invulnerable. You don't want a whole army behind you in your weakened state. Can you drive?"

"Drive? You mean, those – machines? No, but I'm an excellent horsedriver."

She said it with genuine enthousiasm. Isabel couldn't help smiling. The young princess eyed her suspiciously.

"Now let's get you out of here before it is too late."

Determined footsteps and the cocking of a gun resound through the space of the large room.

"I'm afraid it is to late already. There has been a change of plan, ladies, — you are not going anywhere. Put up your hands!"

Colonel Gerbhardt cocked his pistol and pointed it at Dr. Maru's back. The doctor froze. She hadn't heard him coming in and was at first totally surprised, but quickly regained composure. Slowly she turned around while putting her hands in the air.

"I suspected already yesterday that you'd be up to something not good, but to set her free in plain violation of a direct order? There is only one word for such behaviour, Doctor: treason. And you'll pay the price for it, be sure of that. But first I shall do what you should have done yourself: to finish off that freak!"

He turned and directed his gun at the Amazon princess, halfway visible behind Isabel Maru's back.

The cracking of a heavy calibre shot. Diana blocked it easely, but the colonel came closer while firing more bullets. Diana dove out of the bed and to the ground, but, restrained by her chain, couldn't manoevre entirely out of danger's way. The large round in the Mauser wasn't empty yet. A new shot cracks — a shadow blocks Diana's eyesight and the bullet coming straightly her way. A muffled scream and Isabel Maru's body falls heavily at her feet to the floor.

Diana by now succeeded in opening the lock and breaking the magical chain. She feels at a sudden her powers returning. She throws the bed to the colonel who falls on his back, his pistol sliding out of his hand. Then she realises what happened.

"No! Dr. Maru! No, no!"

In one lean motion Diana jumps to kneel at the side of the fallen scientist. Blood gushes out of Isabel's mouth. She graps Diana's hand firmly.

"Why did you do that? I could have taken it! I am Themyscira's champion! Why in Hera's name did you do that?!"

"F — forgive me..."

A bloody hand touches Diana's cheek.

"So beautiful... I — I would so much have liked — to — make it — the medicin — "

Her eyes break, her hand falls to her chest, her head sinks to the side. Doctor Maru is dead.

"May the gods have mercy on thy soul. Oh Gods, she sacrificed herself so that I, so that the Amazons may live. I beg you, Athena, I beg you Hades, show mercy on her soul." Diana's hand softly covers Isabel's front and closes her eyes.

Only now her environment turned back into Diana's consciousness. The sound of soldier's boots is everywhere. She looks up and sees half a circle of a dozen steelfaced men surrounding her at three steps distance. They point their rifles at her. The colonel towers in the middle, a smirk on his face. He lifts his arm and aims his weapon. His mouth opens, his lips form the fatal command —

Bullets ricochet in all directions on the stone floor. The Amazon princess lands lightly behind the line and sweeps her Lasso through the surprised crowd; their closed line suddenly turns into a disadvantage. They try to whirl around and shoot at the same time; she protects herself with the shield in the satchel held before her chest. She kicks a nearby officer into the wall, seizing his sabre, hacking herself a way back into the line until she faces colonel Gerbhardt. They watch each other for a split second, they both know how this is going to end. He clenches his teeth while the cold steel penetrates his chest, it feels like it takes an eternity before the weapon appears between his shoulderblades. Diana pushes him with her foot off her sword, he is dead before he even touches the ground.

Everything happens as if in slow motion. Diana sees, feels, senses what is going on before it happens, what to do before she does so. Battlerage consumes her, but she is entirely lucid in her actions. She turns about her axis, slashes, crashes, blocks, tosses around. The surviving soldiers panic and try to rush out of the large room through its only door. The princess sees the mayhem and rushes to the large window. In the quickly falling dusk she discerns the horses of a cavalry detachment that returned just minutes ago from a reconnaisance mission. Without hesitating she crushes through the window, its coloured shards burst out in all directions.

She lands heavily on the grit and goes through her knees. Pain washes over her; she feels she can hardly control herself. Warm blood trickles on her right leg. Grabbing her waist blood leaks through her fingers. Diana realises that she is hurt, badly. Speed is of the essence. She hurls herself into the saddle of the horse closest to her, whispering some soft words in the startled stallion's ear.

Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hyppolita, Princess of the Amazons thunders over the bridge and disappears into the night, the sound of the horse's hooves resounding on its wooden beams hangs in the air filled with gunshots, cries and utter chaos, her red blood invisibly colouring the scene that fades behind her.


	8. Chapter 8 Risky Business

_**Hi to all of you enthousiastic readers & writers! I've been out for a while due to an accident and some other daily life business, but I hope you're still going to read me and follow my story. I definitedly enjoyed receiving reviews and — especially — useful & encouraging comments. So let's get on with it!**_

 **VIII. Risky business**

Etta Candy is a miracle, Sameer thought. She must be. Otherwise she never could have organised everything so neatly in such an amazingly short time. He had briefed all of them about his adventures on the Amazon Island and his promise to their Queen. Etta had rolled her eyes, sighted deeply, and set out to work. Red cross diplomatic documents, identifying the three remaining companions as well as five tall women in nurses' attire as members of a Red Cross mission, had been distributed to them. Sameer acted offically as interpreter to the delegation — a classic disguise for uncover intelligence operations. Charlie, in his new capacity of lieutenant of the Gordon Highlanders regiment, was assigned as its guard and was in charge of the military command of the operation, while Napi held the status of the delegation's scout. Etta had safeguarded a passage for them from London, where they had reunited after their disastrously succesful mission behind the German frontlines, back into the war zone, with a mandate to negotiate the exchange of prisoners of war. It was the perfect cover for moving, in this phase of the war, more or less freely behind the lines of both friend and foe, while being able to cross them rather easily. But their real mission was to rescue a mysterious intelligence agent by name of Diana Prince, who gone missing in action behind the German lines.

This Diana Prince had caused a stirr at HQ. The news of the death of captain Trevor was met with distress, but it stood out to reason that he was a war hero whose sacrifice had saved thousands of lives. He would certainly be awarded a high military distinction soon, recognising that fact. His surviving companions on the ultra-secret mission, apparently commisioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in person, would equally be rewarded in due time. High Command was, however, far less willing to admit the seemingly crucial part played by an unknown young woman named Diana Prince, who had been spotted only once in Sir Patrick's and Steve Trevor's company at the War Council, but who had been making headlines in the German press while being court martialled for sabotage and espionnage, destroying a huge arms factory, as well as, unbelievingly as it may sound, for the slaughter of the German army's second in command. Her existence could therefore hardly be denied. Mss. Candy had been adament on her inclusion in the statement issued by HQ, claiming that it was her powerful contribution that made the mission into a success in the first place. The hectic, tense atmosphere at HQ and the offices of the War Council after the sudden death of Sir Patrick Morgan didn't help to clarify the issue. Sir Patrick had been found death a week ago in his garden; his heart had exploded in his chest, the doctors said, like if he had been struck by a bold of lightning.

Sameer and his travel companions had disembarked at Nieuwpoort, a small Belgian fisher port in the unoccupied part of the country, that had been tranformed into a strategic asset in the provisioning of the allied armies. It played a crucial rôle in the large-scale inundation that had, by direct order of the Belgian King, in 1914 flooded the area between the final stronghold of the beleaguered Belgian army and the advancing Germans, succesfully stopping them in their tracks. Since four years the Belgians held this part of the frontline, supported by their British and French allies to the South and East.

The small fellowship had halted in Ypres, a medieval town sitting on a ridge in between the inundated plains and the frontline to the South-East, and only recently the scenery for a series of battles só grue some that they might well have been the most horrible thing ever to have been enacted by men's own hand. Poisoned gaz had been used by the Germans to mass murder enemy soldiers in the trenches before even firing one shot. British High Command had thrown in massive numbers of troops from the colonies, hardly blinking an eye at the slaughter of hundres of thousands of youngsters in an attempt to take a strategical ridge near a village called Passchendaele. The British and German armies had been trying to destroy each other for months in the devastated land, with the Allies gaining hardly a mile at the end of the carnage. It was an utterly senseless, boundless, mindless slaughterhouse.

Leaving dumbstruck by the sight of the utter devastation that unfolded before their eyes, the fellowship went mute when they waded through eery mudpits and passed over small passerelles in the fields bordering the city. The old city itself was like a dead corpse, its skeleton arms the remnants of its belltower and its proud hall sticking out empty against the lead-grey sky the squashed helmed head of some gigantic soldier sticking out above the trenches. A deadly silence hung like an invisble cover stiffling every sound.

The small fellowship were now well on their way to the frontline, which still held out but was slowly moving toward the East. The occasional thunder of mortars and machine-gun fire in the distance reminded the companions of the ongoing hostilities. The armistice negotiations had been dragging on while there were rumours about the crumbling of the Eastern front — a massive popular uprising in Russia seemed to have forced the Czarist armies to retreat, giving the Germans some breathing space. It was probably only a matter of days right now, but still many could die within a few days.

Their campfire in a ruined farmhouse gave only limited warmth. A few meager rabbits hung roasting in the fire while the Amazons tried to warm their hands above it. They were battle-hardened, but not used to cold — and not used to the images of utter devastation they had witnessed that day.

"What kind of a war is this?! — the blond-haired, muscled woman's voice was unmistakenly shaking. Her name was Penthesilea, and she was of the royal line. Her voice shuddered with shock and anger. "Are you people totally insane, ridden by Ares's madness to an extend even he could not fathom?" While sitting in the middle of the devastation, it was still said with utter disbelief. The three men watched each other in silence, shrugging embarrassedly. It was utter madness indeed — what else was there to say?

"Explain me again what exactly it is that Princess Diana destroyed?" — The question came from a tall, dark skinned woman who went by the name of Philippus. Sameer had met her already at the Amazon Island. She was one of Themyscira's top military commanders, and he knew what she was capable of.

"An chemical production plant and arms factory, used to make bombs filled with poisoned gaz, honey" Charlie offered patiently. "You have seen by now what such bombs can do."

Sameer cringed. The dark Amazon slowly rose to her feet, her eyes blazing. Charlie stepped back, his hands before him in a wavering gesture.

"Hey, I'm sorry, it was just a joke, right?"

Philippus glared at him for a long while, and sat down finally without a word. It was tiring to travel with these women, Charlie thought. Not that they were not trustworthy companions, or not beautiful to look at, not at all, they truly were a sight for sore eyes. But they were intimidating, too: Stoic, tall, and deadly serious. Irony seemed to be lost on them entirely. Even Sameer's charm had hardly an influence on them. They never complained about the circumstances, on the contrary; they were hard as nails. And they could speak even more languages than the Sultan did, adding a lot to the credibility of the delegation. But they were so, — so weird: totally committed on one moment; curious and easely excited, or angered, like little children, on the next. Only the Chief seemed to have the power to exert some control over them.

Getting through the lines in order to negotiate the exchange of prisoners of war was risky, all be it not impossible, especially not since they carried a formal mandate to do so, courtesy of the British War Council, another trick up Etta Candy's large sleeve.

The chaos at the front was total, while the will to continue fighting this utterly senseless, dreadfully devastating war had drained out of the men on both sides. The armies basically wanted to go home, and who could blame them? So when the small delegation presented itself around noon on that misty day at the gates of Morbecque Castle, the seat of German High Command, they were allowed in on the basis of their credentials without too much difficulty, and assigned to a middle ranking officer, a talkative and helpful young captain, to go through the practicalities of upcoming prisoner-of-war transfer procedures.

The place was in uproar, so much was certain. Preparations for abondoning the Castle were clearly on their way, but something else was going on as well. Orders were yelled, soldiers were running in all directions; they were organising an emergency squad of some sorts, consisting of a platoon of horsemen and a small armoured vehicle.

"What is going on?" Io's deep voice sounded anxious. The sturdy Amazon blacksmith felt uneasy. She was aware of Diana's presence somehow close-by.

"Do not worry about that, nurse," the German captain charged with looking after them told her reassuringly. "It's a manhunt, they go after an escaped prisoner, a war criminal condemned by court martial who shall face ultimate punishement once we've captured her back — and deservedly so."

It was not visible to outsiders, but the three men in the fellowhsip could feel how their female company suddenly froze. Under her nurse's robes, Io's hand glided swiftly towards the sword in the scabbard at her side. A heavy hand gently stopped her movement and she watched into the Chief's friendly face.

"Patience" — his lips hardly moved. She gave in reluctantly.

"A _woman_?" Charlie spoke with masterfully played incredulity. "What did she do? How did she escape?"

"She's a saboteur and a spy, and not to be underestimated; she killed many in battle. She fled on horseback to the West, but they'll capture her soon enough — I heard she's seriously wounded. But all of that is none of your concern. Let's see you to the mess for lunch, and then start our work on organising the prisoners exchange. Come on now, we have a lot of work before us!"


	9. Chapter 9 Dreaming or Drowning

**IX. Dreaming or Drowning**

Winds rustle over the cold waters that cover the plain as far as the eye can reach. Stocky pollard willows stick out of the surface of the enormous artifical lake, their knotty silhouettes beveling eerily against the leaden sky. The roof of an inundated farm breaks the line of the horizon; footbridges and passserelles just above the dark surface seemed to loose themselves into the distance, only to dissolve into the low-hanging clouds.

A deadly silence hangs over the scenery, only disturbed by the far away thunder of the mortars and the irregular obus explosions at the frontline. From here on, it seemed like those things happen in another world. Wind and water birds determine the rythm here; the reed covering the shores sways swiftly when the waves roll over it.

Two children procede carefully through the bushes on the waterfront. They look out for births or eggs to prey, and come to check their night lines for fish and eel. The boys, not older than twelve, thirteen, make their way through the vegetation carefully, not wanting to frighten away their potential dinner. Wading knee-high through the water pushing branches aside, the kid leading the way suddenly stops in his tracks.

"Kijk daar, Jules!"

The addressee, surprised, bounces into the back of the boy before him, grabs his schoulder not to fall.

"Oww! What the hell, Cyriel?"

"Someone's lying in the water!"

Jules peeks around the shoulder blocking his sight.

"Where? Is he alive?"

"It's a German; look at his coat. He's dead I think. The water is very cold and he doesn't move at all... "

"Whoah! Let's look whether he still has something of value on him. Or maybe we find out who he is, and where he comes from. You never know!"

The excited children's voices echo over the waterfront. They grap the lifeless body by its arms and pull it halfway on the bank. It is heavy, its soaked trench coat seems to weigh a ton. A large satchel holds it back; they cut its thong and throw the bag on the shore. They roll the unlucky soldier on his back; long dark wavy hair falls away and reveals his face.

They stand frozen by the sight: an alabaster-white face, and unbelievably beautiful. It is the face of a woman.

"Jules, this cannot be. Why would a woman wear soldiers' clothes? Look how beautiful she is. Is she really death?"

The boy sits on his knees besides the victim and touches cautiously her face.

Jules takes her bag and empties its content on the shore. A second time the boy freezes at what he sees.

In his hands he holds the exquisitely carved hilt of a long sword. The small part of its blade that remains glistens in the pale sunlight.

"Whoah, how... beautiful. But it's broken." Cyriel looks up at his pal and takes the piece, "do you think she faught —, " He stops mid-sentence.

"I'm quite sure she did fight," Jules says, holding up the heavy, lavisly decorated shield he found in the satchel. "She must be a knight, like the ones in the Count's Castle in Ghent!"

"Don't be a fool; girls can't be knights!"

"Well, seems like this one can. It's a pity she's death — I would have loved to hear her stories. She must have slain a dragon at least."

"Dragons do not exist; everyone knows that."

"They do exist in Hell, together with the demons!"

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do!"

The boys' quarrel ends up in splattering water and pieces of vegetation flying around.

"They do exist, but they are different from what you think they are."

The boys freeze again at the sound of the deep, warm voice. They turn simultaneously around, eyes wide open. The woman in front of them lies on her side, propped up on her elbow. Her trench coat hangs open; a shiny red-golden armour is visible in between its lapels. Her free hand sits on her waist, bloodied red. After an awed silence that seemed to last an eternity, the boys regain their wits.

The mysterious woman retches and coughs; muddy water flows from her mouth.

"You're hurt," Cyriel offers, visibly concerned. He kneels at her side and supports her as good as he can until the vehement spasms reside. "You need a doctor."

"You really saw a dragon?" Jules dares to ask, already now hardly believing what is right before him.

"I'll tell you all about it, I promise. But I need your help first."

"Whe'll help you," Cyriel declared solemnly. Saving a fallen knight was as close to the deeds of the heroes of fairy tales as one could ever dream to get. "Shall we get the medics from the field hospital?"

"Is there a field hospital? That would be good. But the problem is, you have to understand, I cannot be seen, not by English soldiers and not by Germans."

"Ah, but you won't," Jules said confidently.

"If you alarm the hospital, there is not really a way out of it," Diana retorted.

"No, you won't," Jules replied triumfantly, "because there are only Belgian soldiers in this sector!"

"Belgians?" Diana lifted a questioning brow. "Whose side do they fight for?"

"We only defend our country," Cyriel sounded visibly offended. "We are the people of this land. When the Germans came, they were so many our army couldn't stop them. But the King ordered the sluices to be opened, the water flooded everything, and the Germans got stuck —, " the boy tells the story with such passion that it seems he did all of this singlehandedly himself.

"And we got stuck, too," Jules added, very down to earth. "Four years already. It's about time that it stops. I would like to visit my aunt in Ghent — if she still lives."

"Shhh — don't say that! If the war stops, we have to go back to school!"

Diana smiles. Kids are the same everywhere, or so it seems. But she is genuinely intrigued by their story.

"Why — did the Germans come for Belgium?" A twinge contorts her face. She visibly suffers from her wound.

"The did not come for us; they wanted to go to France — they always do," Jules replies willingly.

"Are you German? Why would you hide from your own people? We're the enemy, you know. They could throw you in jail overhere."

"A good thing then that I'm not German, " she replied matter-of-factly. "I — "

Diana throws up again. She feels her strength wane quickly.

"Boys, I need you to do something for me. I need a doctor urgently. Is there someone in your village you can trust with a secret, an elderly, wise person?"

For a moment the boys watch each other. Then, simultaneously, they start to speak.

"Mijnheer pastoor, Father Eustache."

" —? "

"He's the village priest," Jules explains.

"I'll get him. And Dr. Berlaere. Jules, you stay with the knight." Cyriel turns, and off he goes, excited he'll bring back home such an unbelievable story. But first to see the pastor, as he promised.

Diana does not hear him anymore. Her already pale complexion blanches even more as she fades into unconsciousness.

A raven in the skies hovers high above them, its shrieks so thin that they go unnoticed.


End file.
